I visited North Wales quarry town that pays homage to its past but is looking to the future

Handily-placed on the A5 today, Bethesda is located along the old London to Holyhead mail route. It grew with the flourishing of the slate and stone quarrying industries - with Penrhyn being the largest quarry - in the 18th and 19th Centuries and slate is still produced today.

I went along to see how the town looks in the 21st Century and was struck by its mixture of the old and the new. Coming off the A55 at Junction 11, I drove along the winding A5 alongside the meandering Afon Ogwen.

As you enter the town, you can't miss the gigantic, yellow and blue mural on a building in Tan Twr. It commemorates the Penrhyn Quarry Strike (the longest industrial dispute in British history), male and female choirs and more besides in a proud and defiant tribute to Bethesda's economic and cultural heritage.

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Indeed, further up the A5 I saw a slate monument. Topped with a symbol of the Transport and General Workers' Union Wales, which merged with Amicus in 2007 to form Unite, it honours the "Streic Fawr Penrhyn/Great Strike Penrhyn 1900-1903". It also bears the message: "Da Ni Yma O Hyd - We are still here."

Many quarrymen and their families would of course have worshipped at local churches and chapels and I was impressed with how many wonderful buildings are still dotted around the town. Christ Church in Glan Ogwen parish - opened 1856 - looks particularly fine, set back off the road.

But there are innovations in Bethesda aswell. The most notable perhaps is Zip World's 1,555-metre-long Velocity zip wire, reportedly the fastest in Europe.

I've tried it and it's a real buzz. Strapped securely into a harness and fizzing along at about 100mph, I was surprised by the blueness of the water in Penrhyn Quarry below and the astonishing views of Eryri. I wanted another go straight away.

But on this trip, I was keen to see what else Bethesda has to offer and stumbled across a thriving cheese dairy and shop off the High Street, near Zip World. Carrie Rimes, at Cosyn Cymru in Llaethdy Gwyn, sells a variety of ewe's milk products including Brefu Bach cheese.

Carrie sells some of her cheese to a thriving pizza business based in an intriguing, converted French van in the adjoining car park. It's run by fine dining-trained chef Brian Spackman, helped by Paul Carreon, who are welcoming an increasing number of customers as word spreads.

Pizza fans can eat at tables alongside the bubbling Afon Ogwen and Brian and Paul even held a "Reggae Sunday" there last weekend. Their Flame & Grain wood fired catering venture will increase its trading days to seven days a week in the summer holidays.

So I enjoyed my informative trip to Bethesda. Our family used to come this way to watch matches at Bethesda Rugby Club on Sunday mornings, munching a bacon sarnie on the touchline.

Now it seems there are other options there too.

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